Malleable play materials have proven to be an extremely long-lasting and popular toy product. Such materials have varied considerably from earliest moldable or malleable materials which comprised mold simple modeling clay to later developed starch based materials and finally to present day play materials which are formed of complex synthetic and oil-based formulas. The result has been a succession of play material compounds which have provided both drying and nondrying material and which have provided a variety of textures or "feels" as they are handled by the user.
Not surprisingly, the popularity of such malleable play materials has encouraged practitioners in the toy arts to provide a similarly endless variety of accessories and toys to be used in various play patterns with these malleable materials. Examples of such accessories and toys have included extruders which typically operate in a hand press configuration to force the play material through an extrusion die. Similarly, various types of molds and forming tools have also been provided.
As practitioners in the toy arts have continued their endeavors to enhance the attractiveness of their play material products, the containers within which the play materials are sold and stored between use have also been subject to substantial design variation. As a result, containers for colorful play materials have included clear transparent containers intended to amply show the colorful play material as well as multiply colored and variously shaped play material containers. The basic objective in the continued development of play materials, accessories and toys used therewith, and containers for the play materials has been the enhancement of user appeal and play value.
An example of such creative work is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,801 issued to Sway which sets forth a SELF-CONTAINED MOLDING KIT FOR HEAT LIQUIFIABLE MOLDING MATERIAL which includes a container for the molding material and a combination closure member mold which is releasibly secured to and carried by the container. The container is generally cylindrical and supports a quantity of moldable material together with an open top and closure lid. The lid conforms to and seals the open container and when removed provides a recessed open face mold for forming variously shaped articles. In some embodiments, a plurality of stackable or nesting container open face molds are further provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,321 issued to Goldfarb sets forth a SURPRISE AND LEARN MOLDING TOY having a housing supporting a plurality of mold cavities each of which defines a three-dimensional visually recognizable element such as a tree or a cat. Each cavity defines an entrance having a shape that corresponds to a two-dimensional visually recognizable element such as a letter. The two and three-dimensional elements for each cavity are generally related to each other to provide an associative value for the child user between an object formed or molded in the cavity and the letter on the door thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,458,508 issued to Aiken sets forth a CLAY MODELING BOOK having a pair of book-like hinged portions defining interior faces. One face supports a quantity of molding clay while the opposite face supports a press mold. When the clay material is placed on one side of the book and the book is closed, an image corresponding to the press mold is formed in the modeling clay.
While the foregoing described prior art devices have provided various improvements and enhancements of play material toys and accessories and in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved interesting and amusing play material accessories and toys.